Plastic is entering the world's oceans at an unprecedented rate impacting the functioning of the natural marine environment. Yet little consideration has been given to the potential of carbon (C) in the form of plastic (C_plas) to augment the marine carbon system. Here it is shown that C_plas is an integral part of the anthropogenic marine C cycle. Annually, 7.8 ± 1.73 Mt of C_plas is deposited at the seabed with a further 17.2–57.1 Mt C_plas already present on the seafloor. The quantity of C_plas currently being deposited on the seabed annually exceeds the rate at which organic carbon (OC) is buried in some marine sediments and by 2050 it is possible that the rate at which C_plas is buried will match fjord sediments which are global hotspots for OC burial. Though unwanted this new anthropogenic pathway for C to reach the marine environment cannot be ignored.

中文翻译：

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塑料时代全球海洋沉积碳储量的增加

塑料正以前所未有的速度进入世界海洋，影响着自然海洋环境的功能。然而，人们很少考虑以塑料（C _plas）形式存在的碳（C）增强海洋碳系统的潜力。在此表明，C _plas是人为海洋C循环的组成部分。每年，海底沉积了7.8±1.73 Mt的C _plas，在海底已经存在另外的17.2-57.1 Mt的C _plas。目前每年沉积在海底的C _plas的数量超过了有机碳（OC）埋入某些海洋沉积物中的速率，到2050年，C _plas的速率有可能被掩埋的将与峡湾沉积物相匹配，而峡湾沉积物是OC埋葬的全球热点。尽管这是不必要的，但这种新的人为碳到达海洋环境的途径却不容忽视。